You can kill all of us but you can’t kill our ideology

Javed Qazi says that we can keep Sabri alive by upholding his legacy of qawwali.

KARACHI: The perpetrators perhaps believe that killing someone will silence their voice. Civil society and social activists took to Karachi Press Club to respond to those seeking this silence: you can kill a person but you can never kill an ideology.



'A candlelight vigil to condemn the murder of Sufi singer Amjad Sabri' was organised outside the club on Thursday by Aurat Foundation, Strengthening Participatory Organization, Qazi Faiz Muhammad Committee, Voice of Sindh and others. Student activists from National Students Federation (NSF) were also present, bearing vocal messages on placards and shouting slogans. The protesters raised questions on the performance of those responsible for maintaining law and order in the city.



According to lawyer Javed Qazi, who is the son of late peasant leader Qazi Faiz Muhammad, we can keep Sabri alive by keeping his tradition of qawwali alive. "They [perpetrators] tried to kill the legacy of qawwali in Sindh," he said. "This is the murder of a Sufi, Pakistan's secular ideology and every approach that is progressive or enlightened." He questioned how many people will be killed to achieve the purpose of silence. "We are all here, we are not afraid," he stated categorically.

Talking about the law and order situation, he asked what kind of a government we have. "Is this Rangers' government or Saeen Qaim Ali Shah's?" he questioned, asking why they have failed to ensure justice to the common man. Lambasting the state on its failures, Qazi said that Pakistan is heading towards a civil war all because of the incompetence of authorities. Speaking to The Express Tribune, he stressed that we need to uphold the tradition of qawwali. "They [perpetrators] are not afraid of guns, tanks, Rangers or drone attacks," he said. "They are afraid of the voice of a singer."

NSF secretary-general Laila Raza lights a candle outside Karachi Press Club on Thursday. PHOTO: EXPRESS

The protest began with a considerable number of activists and supporters lighting candles on the footpath. NSF Karachi organiser Muzammal Afzal then initiated charged slogans and the participants joined in. "Mullah teray zaabtay, hum nahin maantay [Clergy, we don't accept your ways]," they roared in unison, followed by 'Zaalimon javab do, zulm ka hisaab do [Answer us oppressors, account for your oppression]'. Critical of the surge in targeted and sectarian killings, Afzal went on to lead with further slogans condemning militant and banned religious outfits. The crowd continued with cries of freedom in chorus, such as 'Is zulm se chahain, azaadi! Is jabr se chahain, azaadi! Dehshat se chahain, azaadi! Gar tum nahin do gay azaadi, hum cheen k lain gay azaadi! Hai haq hamara, azaadi! [We want freedom from oppression! We want freedom from tyranny! We want freedom from terrorism! If you won't give us freedom, we'll forcibly ensure our freedom! Freedom is our right!]' and 'Taiz ho, taiz ho, jaddo jehed taiz ho, Taliban k khilaaf, jaddo jehed taiz ho [Speed up the resistance, speed up the resistance against Taliban]'.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Afzal said that National Action Plan (NAP) and Karachi operation have failed to achieve what they were supposed to. "We demand accountability of NAP and Karachi operation, especially considering the prevailing situation in which banned organisations are allowed to stage rallies while peaceful and progressive voices, such as Inayat Raza, Sabeen Mahmud, Khurram Zaki and Perween Rahman, are silenced," he said. "Looking at the statistics of crimes such as muggings, thefts and targeted killings and also the recent kidnapping of Ovais Shah, I feel that the operation in Karachi has been reduced to victimisation of political workers alone."



Voice of Sindh representative Shafqat Soomro also criticised the failures of the authorities, especially the facts that the economy is going down and the 'prime minister does not want to return'. "We demand answers because we are taxpayers and the country is run on our tax money," he said. "What is happening in the country? You are failing at your foreign policy, you are facing internal and external threats and you are failing at managing the country and the economy. For shame's sake, let the people live.”

Aurat Foundation's Mahnaz Rahman lamented the killing of a 'peaceful singer who used to spread happiness'. “He used to preach peace and love,” she said. "The oppressors didn't even spare him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2016.